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With the National Forest, the Staffordshire moorlands, the River Derwent, and the Peak District National Park it's also a great area for adventure seekers! There are 1600 miles of footpaths with challenging walking in the Dark Peak area and gentler limestone dales to the south and east. Long distance walks include the 270 mile Pennine Way, the Limestone Way and the Midshires Way. For cyclists there's a huge network of old railway tracks, including the High Peak, Tissington and Manifold tracks in the White Peak area and the Monsal and Longdendale trails further north. Horse riders will love the patchwork of ancient packhorse trails which wind their way across the Peak District. The trails, which have been in use since medieval times, are great for a weekend breaks or a leisurely day ride. Rock climbing is a hugely popular sport and Stanage Edge, Froggatt Edge, the Roaches and Windgather Rocks are particularly good spots. The limestone areas of the White Peak provide some of the most challenging caving and pot holing in Britain. The River Derwent is a great place to spot water voles, otters and salmon. It's also popular with water sports enthusiasts. Canoeing, kayaking, sailing, windsurfing and fly-fishing are all available on the countless reservoirs in the area. If you're looking for adventure in one of the most stunning areas of Britain come to the Peak District. To the south is Stafford, home of Royal Doulton, Spode, Wedgwood, Aynsley and many more famous potteries. You can tour the potteries, browse in factory shops or even decorate your own piece of pottery in a pottery café! Nearby 18th century Shugborough Hall is the ancestral home of Lord Lichfield. There are 900 acres of gardens and parkland to explore. Burton-on-Trent is the home of British brewing - and boy can you smell it! You'll soon learn the town's proud brewing history and you can even see England's oldest working micro brewery. Derby has strong industrial connections particularly with Rolls Royce. You can visit an industrial museum, shop in an authentic Victorian market hall or walk the winding Georgian streets. Shipley Country Park, south of Heanor, has great family walking and cycling routes and an adventure playground. The River Derwent provided the power for the earliest cotton spinning mills during the industrial revolution. At Belper you can learn all about the 18th century cotton industry. Nearby is the pretty town of Milford, which straddles the River Derwent and has several weirs, a stone bridge, picturesque stone cottages, pubs and restaurants. Crich, north west of Ripley, is where the popular TV series Peak Practice is filmed.
For stunning views visit the dramatic ruins of Wingfield Manor, west of Alfreton, where Mary Queen of Scots was once imprisoned. Nearby is the huge National Forest - the first National Forest to be developed for one thousand years. In the Churnet River Valley, at the southern tip of the Peak District, you can see evidence of the area's industrial past such as the Caldon Canal, lime kilns, narrow boats, iron smelters and two working watermills. To the north west is Leek, an 18th and 19th century silk and dying centre with connections to William Morris, the founder of the Arts and Crafts movement. The Rudyard Lake is a great beauty spot with gentler footpaths.
To the east of Leek, the rugged moorlands and mighty crags of the Peak District begin. The rocky escarpments of the Roaches, Hen Cloud, Windgather Rocks and Ramshaw Rocks provide great views and more advanced walking. The White Peak to the east is softer with green fields, drystone walls and limestone dales including Dovedale, Lathkill Dale and Manifold Valley. The Ashover Show, held near Matlock on the eastern edge of the Peak District National Park, is an annual agricultural show where the best of local livestock and produce is exhibited. The unspoilt village of Hartington is to the east and the world famous Bakewell pudding is from nearby Bakewell. Buxton is one of England's highest market towns and is famous for its mineral water. Visit Buxton Country Park to see amazing stalactites and natural caverns. There are also some good woodland trails and walks. The windswept gritstone edges and moors of the Dark Peak lie to the east and north of Buxton and are both challenging and rewarding for walkers, cyclists and horse riders. Mam Tor and Kinder Scout near Edale are the highest in the area at about 2000 ft each. The Peakland edges, such as Stanage Edge, provide gentler walking and great views down into the river valleys.
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